


Button Eyes

by Elffaw



Category: Yuri!!! on Ice (Anime)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Coraline Fusion, Art in chap 1 & 3, Buttons for Eyes, Creepy Dolls, Depressed Victor Nikiforov, F/F, General Creepiness, Katsuki Yuuri Is a Victor Nikiforov Fan, Light Angst, M/M, Makkachin doesn't, Minor Character Death, Miscommunication, Otayuri (if you squint), Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining Victor Nikiforov, Vicchan Lives
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-12-12
Packaged: 2021-01-04 01:27:42
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 17,111
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21189260
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Elffaw/pseuds/Elffaw
Summary: Life and Love. He had been denied those for far too long.When a weary Victor decides to get away from skating and move to Ashland, he does not expect such a strange turn of events. By day, he is surrounded by kind but peculiar neighbors, an irate teenager and a beautiful but elusive man he yearns for. By night, a curious little door in his condo leads Victor to a world that is everything he ever wanted. There, Victor reunites with an alternate version of the man he longs for. In contrast to his shy counterpart, he ardently reciprocates Victor's advances and seems adamant on making Victor his, no matter what.The only oddity: the buttons he has for eyes.





	1. Never dance again

**Author's Note:**

> Many thanks to my wonderful beta  Faeriefirefly  and all my discord friends for cheering me on!!
> 
> Edit: Bless  Tundra_Kitsune  for allowing me to post the doodles she did for this AU! She's an amazing and talented artist <3

**Russia’s Living Legend Victor Nikiforov Retires After Fifth Consecutive Win at World Figure Skating Championships**

_It’s a sad day for all skating fans as Victor Nikiforov, Olympic gold medalist, has announced his retirement at the press conference held yesterday for his fifth consecutive win at Worlds. Many rumors had circulated about this season being his last but Nikiforov had neither confirmed nor denied these claims until now. He thanked everyone for their constant support and expressed his utmost gratitude to his coach, Yakov Feltsman, for… [Read more]_

***

**DRAMA ON THE ICE: COACH UNAWARE OF STAR PUPIL’S RETIREMENT?! WHAT HAPPENED NEXT WILL STUN YOU**

_Time for our juiciest scandal yet! We’re sure all skating fans have heard about Victor Nikiforov retiring after a well-deserved win and have been quite shocked as a result. Turns out they weren’t the only ones! Indeed, Yakov Feltsman, Victor’s coach, apparently didn’t know his student had planned on publicly retiring after claiming yet another gold medal and, as you can imagine, his reaction wreaked havoc at the press conference (video link can be [Read more]_

***

_[Picture of Victor cuddling with Makkachin]_

**v-nikiforov ** _Missed spending time with this very good girl #bestdog_

** _15k likes_ **

** **

***

**Athinkingskate ** _Aaaaaaah I finally met @v-nikiforov today!!!! *fans self* He’s so handsome and nice!_

**LordOfTheSnails ** _Duuuuuude, so lucky!! I bet he was, I’ve heard he’s super nice to his fans_

**Athinkingskate ** _He def was!!!! He loved the Makkachin keychain I made for him and was all excited to show it to her <3_

**LordOfTheSnails ** _<333333_

**Kyo-on-ice ** _Met him recently too. I asked him if he wasn’t too sad about not competing anymore and he told me he had really been looking forward to spending more time with his dog. Even showed me a pic of her, that was so adorable????_

**Athinkingskate ** _Awwwww<33 I CAN’T WITH THAT MAN! HE’S TOO PRECIOUS FOR WORDS_

_[See more comments]_

***

**Shuttershock.com**

**ALL THE CELEBRITY PICTURES YOU COULD DREAM OF AND MORE**

_> Victor Nikiforov (678 results)_

_[Picture of Victor and Makkachin playing catch at a dog park]_

_[Pictures of Victor walking Makkachin and looking increasingly worried]_

_[Grainy pictures of Victor entering and leaving a vet clinic]_

_[Picture of Victor sitting on a bench alone]_

***

**The Strange Case of Victor Nikiforov’s Disappearance **

_Five-time winner of the Grand Prix series, Victor Nikiforov, seems to have recently completely vanished from the public eye. His social media accounts haven’t been updated in a while as well. The Olympic medalist retired after last skating season, which had ended with him taking gold once again. Concerned fans and reporters alike contacted his former coach, Yakov Feltsman, to ascertain his whereabouts, but Mr. Feltsman refused to comment on the situation [Read more]_

** Edit:  ** _Nikiforov’s PR manager has since released a public statement assuring that there was no need to worry and that he had merely decided to travel for a change of air. The statement further thanked fans for their concern and urged them on behalf of Victor to keep supporting the other athletes during the upcoming season._

***

Victor had decided to move to the US on a whim, really. After the death of his dear Makkachin, the mere sight of his home kept leaving a sad aftertaste in his mouth. Yakov hadn’t answered his calls in months. He hadn’t heard from Lilia, Yakov’s estranged wife, ever since she and Yakov had divorced a few years after Victor had gotten into seniors. Georgi, his former rink mate, was nice enough but they had never been particularly close. Victor suspected it was because Georgi was resentful he had spent his entire skating career in Victor’s shadow. These three people plus Makkachin had constituted the entirety of Victor’s social circle in Russia. It had, therefore, seemed pointless to stay there with only one person still willing to talk to him.

He could have gone to Switzerland where his <strike>fellow</strike> former competitor, Christophe Giacometti, was training. They had known and supported each other ever since they were teens, engaging in a friendly rivalry that had lasted until Victor had retired. Their busy schedule hadn’t allowed them to meet as frequently as they would have liked, although they had always managed to hang out whenever they had been in the same competitions. In their younger years, they had often been up to no good and had harshly been scolded by Yakov and Josef, Chris’s coach, more than once as a result. Even so, Victor kept a fond memory of these wilder times. Unfortunately, Chris would be busy with his training regimen. Now that Victor was out of the picture, Chris would aim for a gold medal and he certainly couldn’t blame him for that. Plus, people would recognize him and he wanted a break from all the stares and cameras.

He had then reached out to Nikolai Plisetsky, an old family friend, who had moved to Ashland when Victor was 16. Nikolai’s family had purchased a building there, which he was now in charge of with his grandson Yuri, with whom Victor remembered playing back when he wasn’t a busy living legend of figure skating. Over the years, Nikolai had often invited Victor to pay them a visit whenever he had time, but he had never been able to make it. At first, Victor had thus only wanted to finally make good on his promise to visit after so long. However, upon hearing a condo was available in the building, Victor had pondered over the possibility of moving there permanently. A look at his empty and sad flat and his even sadder and emptier life now that Makkachin wasn’t there anymore had helped him come to a swift decision. He had then packed a few belongings of sentimental value, mainly pictures and some books, furniture that felt too comfortable to just leave there, and had flown to Ashland almost without looking back. Before going to the airport, he had still left Yakov a voicemail explaining where he was going in the hopes his old coach would reply to him, one way or another.

When Victor landed in the US and checked his phone, he still hadn’t gotten a reply. Pocketing the device with a sad smile, he retrieved his suitcase from the carousel and started looking for the friend of Yuri’s who was supposed to meet him to bring him to his new home. Glancing at people, he made sure the beanie he was wearing covered his trademark hair. He had also donned sunglasses in the hopes that it would suffice as a disguise. Victor had mentioned to Nikolai that he wanted to keep a low profile for a while, but maybe the person in charge of picking him up hadn’t gotten the memo and had showed up with a huge neon sign flashing _Victor Nikiforov _for all to see. Fortunately, that wasn’t the case, as Victor soon spied a young man with an undercut nonchalantly holding a cardboard sign that simply said _Victor_. Sighing in relief, he made his way to the other and smiled.

“I think you were expecting me? For the condo?”

He received a curt nod in response as the young man motioned for Victor to follow him. On their way out, he carefully tore the cardboard apart and threw it in a bin before leading Victor to a grey minivan, all in complete silence. Maybe he was mute? Loading his suitcase inside, Victor couldn’t help but ask, “Sorry, I don’t think I caught your name? I’m Victor, as you might have guessed.”

“Otabek.” He shook Victor’s hand with a rather strong grip, then, having said his piece, closed the trunk and headed toward the driver’s seat. Not mute, then. Not much of a talker, either, it seemed. Victor soon joined him in the van, secretly hoping while buckling his belt that Otabek had indeed been sent by Nikolai and wasn’t some kind of psychopath on the loose. He could already imagine a red-faced Yakov yelling at whoever would tell him Victor had been abducted and had to hold back a bitter laugh. He missed Yakov’s shouting.

Predictably, Otabek didn’t become more talkative during the ride, focusing all his attention on the road instead. Studying the young man’s stern profile, Victor wondered how he had become friends with Yuri. He remembered him as a rather delicate looking child with a bowl cut and slightly chubby cheeks, always soft spoken and well-behaved. He didn’t really get along well with other children, so Victor had been his only companion. Yuri had also been very keen on mystical creatures and, for some reason, had been convinced Victor was a faerie. It might have been because Victor had looked the part back then, with his long hair and androgynous features, especially when he was on the ice. Now that he was thinking about it, Yuri had always loved watching him skate, begging Victor to teach him how to glide and jump as well as he did. So much time had passed since then. If Victor wasn’t mistaken, Yuri would be fifteen now. From what he had gathered, he and his grandfather were as close as ever, Yuri’s parents often having been out of the picture because of their respective jobs ever since he was a child.

Lost in his thoughts, he hadn’t realized he was still staring until Otabek unexpectedly spoke.

“Yura will be happy to see you again.”

Victor smiled politely. “I hope so. It has been a long time since we saw each other, after all.”

Otabek nodded, and Victor, sensing the conversation had ended, looked out the window and started contemplating the scenery outside instead.

***

By the time they arrived at their destination, it was already late afternoon. As Otabek expertly parked the minivan, Victor took his first good look at the building. It was smaller than he thought it would be but not unwelcoming. A few bushes and trees lined up the front and Victor could see more trees disappearing behind it, probably delimiting a common garden. The building itself was two stories high, the front showcasing mismatched colored doors: a green one on the ground floor and a black one on the second, which was given access via a black staircase. From what Victor could see, tenants had their own private balconies. Four windows framed the door of the second floor, though Victor couldn’t see inside the flat as the blinds were drawn. The other flats were probably on the side or at the back. Getting out of the car with Otabek, all he could hear was the rustle of leaves and the distant chirp of birds. He had noticed Otabek driving out of the city and figured they would be pretty isolated, but still, this was a pleasant surprise.

Victor removed his beanie and raked a hand through his hair, the wind lightly mussing it up. He could live there, he thought, as the door on the ground floor opened on Nikolai. He was older than Victor remembered, of course, but still looked at him with the same fond look he’d given teenage Victor all those years ago. They hugged tightly.

“_I’m so glad you could make it, Vitya,_” said the old man in Russian.

“_It has been a while. Sorry for not visiting sooner,_” replied Victor “_Is Yura—”_

“OI VICTOR!” Victor looked behind Nikolai’s shoulder and saw an angry looking blond teen wearing a sweatshirt with a tiger along with cheetah print sneakers storming out of the building and heading in their direction. The teen (Yuri?) proceeded to jab Victor in the chest.

“Why the fuck did you retire?? What were you thinking? You’re as good as dead now, you idiot.”

He then continued to let his displeasure be known, various colorful curse words punctuating most of his sentences. Victor could only harbor an empty smile, completely speechless.

“_Yurachka, language,” _chided Nikolai in Russian. “_Don’t speak to Vitya this way.”_

Ah, so it was indeed Yuri. Sweet Yuri, who used to look at Victor with stars in his eyes and gush about how cool he was. Maybe Yakov had died and his spirit had possessed the teen to take revenge on Victor for all his lost hair.

_“I’m sorry grandpa,” _muttered Yuri, reverting to Russian. Then, with once last glare directed at Victor, he retreated into the building and slammed the door shut.

Nikolai shook his head and sighed. “_I’m sorry, Vitya. Yurachka has still not accepted the fact that you retired. I’ll go talk to him. Come eat with us tonight, alright?” _From his pocket_, _he fished out a set of keys that he gave Victor. Nikolai then looked at Otabek, who had retrieved Victor’s luggage from the trunk in the meantime, and asked in accented English, “Will you show Vitya his room, please?” The old man gave Victor one last hug and went back into the building, leaving him alone outside with Otabek.

Victor remembered that Nikolai had indeed mentioned at some point during their recent exchanges that Yuri had been devastated by the news of Victor retirement, but clearly even that was an understatement. Still slightly disconcerted, he removed his sunglasses with a soft sigh and let them hang from his t-shirt before nodding to Otabek, who was patiently waiting next to him, holding Victor’s suitcase. As they made their way to the side, Victor tried to stay optimistic. Sure, he hadn’t expected such a cold welcome but things would get better eventually, right? At least he probably wouldn’t have to worry about people recognizing him in this secluded place and screaming—

“Oh my God, it’s Victor Nikiforov!!!!!”

Oh. Well, at least the building was pretty.

The commotion had apparently attracted the attention of the upstairs neighbor that occupied the flat behind the black door. Looking up, Victor saw a dark-skinned young man with Asian features wearing a white crop top and black shorts excitedly pointing at him from the balcony. Lightly combing back the hair that fell over his left eye, Victor flashed his best press smile.

“Hi!” he said, waving.

His neighbor beamed and, to Victor’s surprise, crossed the railing and jumped from the balcony like some kind of cat. Victor had only time to notice that the other was barefoot, pastel pink nail polish adorning his toes, before he all but bounced to Victor, shaking his hand with both of his, and started flooding him with questions.

“It’s such an honor to meet you!!! I’m Phichit; I live in the flat up there. Are you moving in? For how long? Why did you choose to come here? We love your skating so much, we’re such big fans!!! Can we have autographs?”

Suddenly looking appalled, his neighbor—Phichit—put a hand in front of his mouth and added just as quickly, “Oh my God, I’m rambling aren’t I? You must be tired, I—”

“No, it’s okay, don’t worry about it,” interrupted Victor with another blinding smile “Thank you very much for you support. I am indeed going to live here for a little while. Nikolai is actually a good friend that I haven’t seen in the longest time.” Bringing a finger to his lip with a mischievous expression, he added, “I’d appreciate if you wouldn’t post anything online for now. I’m, ah, technically supposed to be here incognito and wouldn’t want to cause him any trouble should the press find me.”

Phichit nodded vigorously, looking even more excited than before, if such a thing was possible.

“It will be very hard not to, but I promise I won’t tell a soul! I’ll also make sure everyone here keeps their mouth shut.”

Victor gave him another smile, though he internally wondered how refraining from posting anything could be so unbearable to anyone. Next to him, Otabek was politely listening, seemingly unbothered by the interruption.

“As for the autograph, I’ll be more than happy to give you one. Just bring me anything you want me to sign next time,” Victor concluded, ready to bid Phichit goodbye.

As he opened his mouth to do just that, a small brown poodle came running from the back of the condo and rushed to Victor while barking wildly. It then proceeded to sniff and nibble at Victor’s shoes before Phichit scooped it up in his arms, tutting disapprovingly at the animal. Victor was instantly reminded of Makkachin. What were the odds that somebody here would have a brown poodle too?

“Phichit, is Vicchan with you? He ran away all of a sudden—” said a slightly out of breath voice.

Another young man, presumably the dog’s owner, had shown up from whence the poodle had come. Victor’s heart missed a beat. Like Phichit, the newcomer had Asian features but his skin was pale. Blue-rimmed glasses framed soft brown eyes. He was wearing black trousers with grass stains on the knees and a cream-colored sweater, the hem of which he was nervously fidgeting with. His black hair was wild but looked soft to the touch. As he must have been running after his dog, his cheeks were slightly red. Victor found him undeniably attractive. He’d let Yuri scream at him every day if it meant he could share a building with this gorgeous man.

“Yuuri! No worries, I have him!” shouted Phichit “Had to keep him from eating the shoes of our esteemed guest, though!”

This made Yuuri, a name as pretty as his owner, Victor thought, realize that Phichit wasn’t alone. As soon as he noticed Victor, his face became cherry red and he fidgeted even more. Victor found that reaction quite cute. He was probably a fan as well. Extending his hand towards Yuuri, Victor winked.

“Hello, Yuuri! Would like an autograph too?”

Victor always tried to keep some boundaries with his fans, despite what the press claimed, but this was the first time he ever felt such a strong pull towards someone. He’d even sign Yuuri’s chest if he asked him to. However, Yuuri’s reaction was rather unexpected, as he squeaked, turned on his heels, and ran away. Literally ran away, as if Victor was the most repulsive thing he had ever encountered.

“…wow.” Was all Victor managed to say, lowering his hand. Had he been mistaken about Yuuri being a fan? He knew his confusion was showing on his face but he was too stunned to even try to hide it. Phichit laughed nervously.

“Haha, don’t take it personally. Yuuri is very anxious and needs some time to warm up to new people. He’s a very big fan, though, I swear!” He paused. Silence fell between the three of them, only broken by the rustling of leaves and Vicchan’s panting. Phichit cleared his throat awkwardly.

“Anyway, I should get going and get Vicchan home. Yuuri usually gives him a light snack after his walk.”

“Of course, don’t let me keep you,” said Victor pleasantly, restraining himself from asking if Yuuri and Phichit were living together. He did want to know more about the elusive man but not to the point of sounding desperate.

“See you around!” said Phichit with a wave while Vicchan boofed.

Otabek guided Victor to the back of the building. As he had suspected earlier, it was surrounded by a garden, and a massive one at that. Actually, it looked more like a small park than a garden. There were trees and bushes everywhere, so he had a hard time figuring out where it ended. 

Once again, the doors of the flats were different colors. The one Otabek indicated as Victor’s was purple and situated on the second floor. Right below was a pink door with a sign that read Pink Palace hanging from a nail. Victor supposed it was a rather fitting name.

Otabek helped Victor carrying his suitcase in front of his door and, before leaving, told him,“All your stuff is here already.” A pause. As if feeling sorry for Victor, he added, “If you need help, knock on the brown door on the side—that’s where I live. I can also show you around one of these days, if you’d like.”

Victor noted it was his longest sentence yet. He thanked Otabek for his kind offer with another press smile and received a thumbs-up in answer.

Left to his own devices, Victor started exploring his new home. He had a fully equipped kitchen through which he had access to a private balcony. From there, he could see the garden, the autumnal colors of the late September trees making for a stunning view. Next was the living room with its faded lavender carpet. There also was a fireplace, but unfortunately, it had been sealed shut. All of Victor’s boxes had been scattered across the room and he figured he’d start unpacking after a good night’s sleep. Then was the bedroom, the only thing inside for now being a desk facing the windows. Victor would have to ask Nikolai if he had a cot or something that he could borrow to sleep on tonight. The wooden floor creaked when Victor walked across the room. Next to his bedroom was a spare bedroom with maroon walls, not that Victor would have any guests that’d spend the night. It didn’t have windows and the lights flickered when he turned them on, giving the empty room a rather creepy vibe. He wouldn’t be sleeping there for sure. Finally, a bathroom with blue tiles completed his flat and he was quite pleased to notice a rather large golden tub to soak in. His abused joints would certainly be grateful.

Victor went back to the living room, removed his shoes and coat, and sat on the carpet. He then sighed heavily. Today had been a very long day. He couldn’t help but think back to what Yuri had said. Unknowingly, he had almost sounded like Yakov. His old coach had screamed so much when Victor had announced his retirement at the press conference. He had said Victor was stupid. Ungrateful. Selfish. But Victor didn’t see it that way. He had given up everything for skating. His life and love, his body, his soul. For years, he had thought sacrificing everything to the ice was worth it. He felt so free when he skated, it felt right. Like he was born to stand there.

Over the years, that feeling had changed. The more medals he won, the more they felt like shackles around his neck. He was constantly pressured to surprise people even more and he progressively stopped skating for himself. His love for skating grew dimmer as a result. He also began to realize that people didn’t see the real him, but rather the façade he had constructed. The few that did preferred the Living Legend who flirtily winked at them over Victor himself, who liked reading books and trying to cook new dishes with cute pins in his hair. Then, there had been Makkachin. He could never see her much and she hadn’t been getting any younger. Ultimately, he had just wanted to spend time with her before it was too late—that had been his true motive for retiring.

Even though Victor had tried to explain all of this to Yakov before announcing his decision, his former coach had always waved him off as if Victor was a whiny child. He had hoped Yakov would have understood his choice. As Yakov still must have felt stabbed in the back, Victor had accepted his harsh words, thinking he simply needed time to digest the news. But it had been months now, and Yakov still kept ignoring him. In a way, he supposed Yakov had been right. He had been selfish. For the first time in years, he had wanted to think of himself for once, but it had been too late already. Skating had truly taken everything. And now, here he was, in an unfamiliar place, his life empty and in disarray. His dog and only friend was gone, and Victor had never felt more alone.

He didn’t know what to do anymore.

Hugging his knees and hiding his face in his arms, he didn’t notice the inconspicuous little door that blended in almost perfectly with the wall.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you made it to the end, thank you for reading! If not, thank you anyway! Feel free to leave some kudos if you want to see more of this! :D


	2. Mechanical lullaby

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back again! Thank you for the nice comments, I'm super happy that people enjoyed the first chap! :D
> 
> Many thanks and hugs to my amaaaaaaazing beta Faeriefly and my discord fellows ;3
> 
> I legit thought I'd never finish writing this chapter with how long it got!

A few weeks into his stay, Victor slowly began to settle in. First of all, Yuri hadn’t mentioned anything about Victor’s retirement again and he was certain he had Nikolai to thank for that. It seemed Yuri had grown into a rather irritable teenager, which Victor mostly blamed on the hormones. However, although Yuri was prone to bickering, Victor had been relieved to find that his apparent annoyance was only half-hearted most of the time.

Secondly, Victor had mostly unpacked everything, thanks to the help of Otabek and a reluctant Yuri. He could finally sleep in his bed with all his pillows and bedside lamps (_Why do you need all of those anyway, huh? _had asked a baffled Yuri). His sofa now occupied a spot in the living room, which Victor had started decorating (_A marble bust, really???_). He was particularly fond of the full-length mirror he had purchased and propped against the wall (_Ugh, can you get any vainer?_). He had also installed his favorite snow globe, matryoshkas, and various pictures of him and Makkachin on a dresser. Victor still had to find a place for all his books and other sentimental trinkets though (_Leave them on the floor, _Yuri had said, shrugging).

Moreover, he was now acquainted with pretty much every nook and cranny of the building and its surrounding areas. He had been shown the utility room next to Otabek’s flat and had taken many strolls around the building as well as through the garden, enjoying the fresh air. He had fallen into a routine, stretching there as to not lose his flexibility. Victor had first thought about transforming his spare bedroom into a gym, but the room just oozed creepiness and he had decided against it in the end. Plus, at that time of the year, the weather was still agreeable, so the current arrangement would do for now. His favorite spot was at the very edge of the property, where a sizeable pond was situated. It was big enough that, if it were frozen, he could probably skate on it. He had brought his skates with him, so perhaps he’d be able to do so if winter was cold enough. For now, he was quite content with the break. Nikolai had given him an old bike of his that he couldn’t use anymore due to his back problems and Victor had since taken a liking to biking throughout the deserted neighborhood when he wasn’t going for a run instead.

Victor had also started to learn more about the other tenants, courtesy of Phichit, whose main objectives in life were to teach amazing tricks to his numerous hamsters and to always stay in the loop, be it on or offline. He thus knew everything there was to know about all the people living in the building. Therefore, Victor had learnt that Otabek was actually the superintendent, that his downstairs neighbors were YouTubers with a passion for the occult who often visited supposedly haunted places and that Yuri was homeschooled. Phichit himself was blogger with a sizable following and an even more sizeable number of social media accounts, while his flatmate, Yuuri, worked as a freelance web designer.

Truth be told, Victor really only cared about tidbits concerning Yuuri, whom he had barely seen since he had first arrived. He now knew his full name was Yuuri Katsuki, originally from Japan but had moved to the US for university, where he had met Phichit. His favorite color was blue, his favorite dish the Katsudon his mother used to cook for him—Victor had looked it up and it sounded delicious—and he was single. According to Phichit, Yuuri was easily his biggest fan, and the reason he kept avoiding Victor was his anxiety.

Victor had hummed at that, not wanting to tell Phichit about that awkward time a few days after his arrival, when he had done his laundry for the first time and realized while folding his clothes that he had forgotten some underwear in the washing machine. When he had entered the utility room to retrieve them, he had unfortunately come face-to-face with one Yuuri Katsuki, a basket full of clothes at his feet and holding what was possibly Victor’s scantiest pair of briefs with a shocked expression on his cute face. Needless to say, Yuuri hadn’t stayed long enough in the room to hear Victor’s apologies. Thus, Victor wasn’t sure Yuuri’s anxiety was entirely to blame for his lack of interaction with him since.

When Victor woke up that morning, heavy clouds had gathered in the sky, promising rain later during the day. The condo felt chillier. Fixing himself some tea, he could also hear the wind picking up through the windows, not that it would prevent him from exercising as he always did. Nonetheless, Victor felt grateful for the hot drink, already feeling warmer and more awake. He was more of a morning person usually, always up bright and early to greet the day, but he had been sleeping rather restlessly as of late. He knew he dreamed, about what he couldn’t tell, and an intense feeling of dread remained whenever he opened his eyes in the morning. Still, Victor was certain it would pass, eventually. After all, he had never permanently moved out so he supposed his subconscious needed time to acclimate to the new environment.

After taking a hot shower and putting on a warm hoodie and sweatpants, Victor opened his front door, ready to step outside but his foot bumped into something on the way out. Looking down, he saw a bundle wrapped in newspaper. A messily written note had been pinned on the front, dated the day before.

_ Found this. Thought you might like it, creepy as it looks. _

_Beka says hi._

_-Yuri_

_PS: Grandpa asked if you wanna eat lunch with us sometime this week. H<strike>ope you’re grateful stupid old man</strike>_

_ _

Victor couldn’t help but smile while reading the note, deciding to keep it as a memento. He and Yuri had gotten off to a bad start, but the teen now seemed to be trying to mend his ways, which Victor truly appreciated. He pictured Yuri slumped over his desk, writing. Otabek would be sitting next to him, probably busy with his phone and occasionally glancing at Yuri. He would have then extended his regards when catching sight of the words on the note. Nikolai had probably come at that moment, with refreshments for the boys perhaps, and, hearing about Victor, had asked Yuri to pass on his invitation. It all sounded incredibly domestic, Victor thought enviously.

Gently opening the package, his hand brushed against soft fabric and he soon uncovered…a stockinette doll. A doll that was the spitting image of Victor himself. His eyes widened in shock at the sight. Pink dusted its cheeks and nose, a cute pointy bump. Silver yarn softly framed the face in Victor’s trademark hairstyle. It wore Victor’s black coat and checkered sweater along with black pants and boots, all carefully crafted. Its eyes, rather than being painted, were buttons of the bluest shade. If Victor had to describe its overall expression, he’d say it looked a little forlorn.

The resemblance was truly uncanny. Yuri couldn’t possibly have found it, as he had claimed in his note, so he must have made it. Victor softly whistled at the thought. The teen was talented, and certainly more patient than Victor had thought he would be, given the amount of time this doll must have taken to create. Fans had often offered him handmade gifts before but this one definitely took the cake. It was sweet of Yuri to give him such a cute present, though, almost reminiscent of their younger years when Yuri would come running up to him with childish drawings of Victor with wings.

Victor gently poked the doll’s nose.

“How about you work out with me, then we go thank Yuri for his thoughtful gift?”

Predictably, the doll only stared back at him.

***

By the time Victor was done with his morning training, it seemed like it could start pouring any moment. Not really feeling like getting caught in the rain, he quickly retrieved the doll from its resting spot on a nearby bush. As he made his way back to the condo, however, he soon stumbled upon a curious sight that made him stop dead in his tracks. There, on the path amongst the fallen leaves, stood a red-haired woman wearing a bright yellow raincoat and enthusiastically holding a Y-shaped branch. She didn’t seem like she had taken notice of Victor standing here, as she was unintelligibly muttering to herself. Victor assumed she must have been one of the neighbors Phichit had told him about. Hence, he supposed it would only be polite to introduce himself before heading back.

He hid the doll in his hoodie pocket, since he was pretty sure greeting a complete stranger while carrying a toy replica of oneself would only make one appear peculiar, even if said stranger acted quite quaintly themselves. Victor then softly cleared his throat and approached the woman.

“Hi! I think I may be your new upstairs neigh—”

“Shhhhhhhh,” she interrupted with a stern glare. “And don’t move.”

“—bor?” finished Victor, smile freezing on his face.

The woman proceeded to walk around in circles, waving her branch, seemingly hoping for it to react in some way. After a few minutes, she clucked her tongue in a disapproving manner and grumbled, “Hmpf, nothing here.”

She smiled apologetically as Victor raised a questioning eyebrow.

“Sorry, I needed to concentrate for a bit.” She cocked her head, which emphasized her bright blue eyes, a striking contrast to the red of her hair.

“So you’re the new guy?”

Victor nodded.

“Phichit told me all about you on our group chat,” she commented while distractedly tracing invisible patterns on the branch, her nails an electric shade of blue “That you’re that famous skater or something who Yuuri is head over heels for and that we need to shut up about you being here.”

Victor gave the woman a dazzling smile.

“If it’s not too much trouble, I would be grateful indeed. I’m Victor.”

“Mila,” she replied, firmly shaking Victor’s hand “I’m afraid I don’t know much about whatever it is you do, nor do I care, so you don’t have to worry.” She paused, then shrugged. “I hope I’m not offending you or anything by saying that. I was never really into sports.”

Victor laughed. “None taken, I assure you. If anything, I’m glad some people haven’t heard much about me.”

“Eh. I guess being famous isn’t all glitter and unicorns, right?”

Victor smiled but didn’t reply. Instead, he nodded at the branch and asked, “What is this for?”

Mila’s face instantly brightened. “Ah! It’s a dowsing rod. It’s usually used to find ground water or metals, but I’ve heard it could locate human bodies as well, so I wanted to give it a try.” Taking a look at Victor’s puzzled expression, she clarified, “This building has a rather grim history. It was built roughly a century ago and many unexplained disappearances seem to have occurred since. People say the place is cursed.”

Mila’s eyes became distant as she twirled the branch, seemingly lost in her thoughts, before she continued, “It used to be a massive house in the beginning, but it’s been partly destroyed and reconstructed multiple times over the years, so the building ended up as a bunch of condos. I think someone also set it on fire at some point? It’s probable they were trying to obliterate what caused the disappearances.”

At that moment, Victor saw something moving in his peripheral vision, right behind Mila. Tuning her chatter out, he discreetly looked over her shoulder and spotted a woman with long dark brown hair and lightly tanned skin stealthily making her way towards them. As soon as she realized Victor had noticed her, she gave him a pleading stare and put a finger in front of her lips, silently imploring him to keep quiet. Amused by her intentions, Victor turned his attention back to Mila.

“…so yeah, my hypothesis is that there’s probably some kind of feral beast lurking in the area,” she concluded, glancing at Victor once again.

Victor gently tapped his lips with a finger. “What makes you say that?”

Mila frowned. “Well, as I said, no one ever found the bodies of these people. So they probably got eaten, right?”

“Why would you need a dowsing rod, then?” further asked Victor, pointing at the branch and trying to distract Mila from the unknown woman.

“If there is a beast, it’s likely it left some remains after its meals, like bones and such that the rod could find. But that’s only a hypothesis. I did hear another theory but it involves— AHH!!!”

The woman had finally caught up to them and had put her hands over Mila’s eyes, thus startling her. “Guess whoooooo?” she laughed.

Mila instantly groaned, “Sara, it’s not funny!”

Sara let her go, giggling all the while.

“You almost gave me a heart attack!” wailed Mila with a pout, whereas Sara oozed smugness. Victor had to keep himself from chuckling at the sight the two of them made.

“It’s so easy to scare you, Sweetie Pie,” Sara said, poking Mila in the cheek, her deep violet eyes twinkling. She then turned her attention to Victor, a polite smile on her face. “Oh right. Aren’t you that famous actor Yuuri always talks about?”

“Darling, he’s a figure skater,” said Mila, shaking her head with an exasperated albeit fond look.

“Same shit.”

“Sure.”

Sara elbowed Mila. “Anyway, sorry, we talk quite a lot. I’m Sara.”

Victor shook her hand and flashed a bright smile. “Victor. Yes, I noticed. So you’re my neighbors?”

Mila nodded. “We are!”

“We live in the Pink Palace,” added Sara.

“Though we were away until yesterday for our latest shooting.”

“Abandoned hospital,” helpfully supplied Sara. “Which will be featured in our next video.”

Victor was just about to ask whether they always expanded on each other’s sentences like that when he heard the unmistakably loud voice of Yuri from afar.

“So you noisy hags are back!” said the teen, soon joining them with Otabek, who, silent as ever, merely nodded in their direction.

“You’re the noisy one, Yurio!” retorted Mila.

Yuri instantly spat back, “Don’t call me that, you old witch!!!”

“Calm down, Yura,” said Otabek, putting a soothing hand on the teen’s shoulder “Remember what your grandpa and I told you.” Turning to Mila and Sara, he added, “We watered your plants while you were away.”

“That’s wonderful—thank you so much!” gleefully replied Sara, clasping her hands together.

Cocking his head to the side, Victor couldn’t help but ask, “Why Yurio?”

Otabek frowned slightly at Victor, as if annoyed that he hadn’t dropped the subject straight away. Surprisingly, Yuri was the one to answer, huffing like an angry cat.

“Because they said having two Yuris was just too confusing. So that hamster dude arbitrarily decided to call me Yurio.” He crossed his arms. “That’s not fair—I was here first! Katsudon should be the one with the silly nickname, not me!”

The sudden sound of twigs snapping interrupted his rant. Shrubs on the side of the path began to rustle. All eyes turned to them and Mila softly gasped in surprise as a fluffy Siberian cat emerged from the foliage. It headed towards Yuri, meowing, and gently headbutted his leg.

“There you are, Potya,” sighed Yuri with the softest smile Victor had ever seen him wear. “It will rain soon; you need to come back inside with us.”

Both Mila and Sara snickered.

“Awwww, afraid of getting her feet wet?”

“She is such a wuss puss!”

Potya meowed, as if offended.

“She doesn’t really like water,” commented Otabek “Plus, mud on her paws makes a mess.”

“And at least she’s not scared of her own shadow like some people I know,” angrily countered Yuri as he picked up Potya, who began to purr in earnest.

“We’re just teasing you,” said Sara with a wink “We wouldn’t dream of saying anything bad about the almighty Potya—oh, sorry—Puma Tiger Scorpion.”

And with that, they burst out laughing. Yuri shrugged, annoyed, while Otabek just stared, deadpan.

Victor politely smiled. “Yuuri’s poodle has a unique name too. So have Phichit’s hamsters.”

While Otabek threw him a grateful look, Sara and Mila’s hilarity all but doubled at the mention of Yuuri. Yuri himself smirked.

“Right, about that,” laughed Mila. “Do us a favor, and one of these days, ask him what Vicchan stands for and why he chose to call his dog that.”

“You’ll definitely be surprised,” continued Sara, holding Mila’s waist. “Ah, speak of the devil. Here he comes.”

Indeed, Vicchan had appeared further along the path, stopping left and right to sniff at trees or bushes. He wasn’t accompanied by his rightful owner, but Phichit instead. Noticing the gathering of people, Phichit whistled at Vicchan and started jogging in their direction with a huge smile on his face, ever cheerful.

“Morning, guys!” Phichit called out.

Even though today felt chillier, Phichit was only wearing a tank top and cargo shorts along with flip flops, gold nail polish on his toes. Victor wondered how he wasn’t cold.

“Oooh, so it’s gold this week!” excitedly remarked Sara, pointing at Phichit’s toes.

Phichit beamed. “Yup! I think the good people of the internet will like it!” Turning to Victor, he waggled his eyebrows. “It’s for this weekly event I launched a while ago on Instagram: Foot Kink Friday!”

“Gross,” muttered Yuri. Victor had to admit he wasn’t sure he wanted to associate Phichit with what that name entailed.

Victor’s blank face must have given him away as Phichit began to laugh.

“Don’t worry; I just try different brands and colors of nail polish then post some pics about it, that’s all. Yuuri even participates sometimes.”

“Speaking of the Katsudon, where has he been? He’s the one walking the mutt, usually” asked Yuri, while Potya stared condescendingly at Vicchan, who had started to chew on a piece of wood.

“Busy with work, or so he claims.” replied Phichit, glancing at Victor with a knowing smile. “But anyway, I’m glad I got to catch all of you here. With a new tenant in our midst, it is past time we met in yours truly’s humble home for a welcome party!”

Mila and Sara looked positively thrilled at the idea. Yuri shrugged, unimpressed, while Otabek gave a thumbs-up.

“I further suggest a potluck since it always makes for more entertaining dinners!” declared Phichit, throwing his fist in the air like an upbeat cheerleader.

“How does that sound, Victor?” asked Mila.

Victor thought it was a rather considerate idea. For all their peculiarities, his neighbors really seemed to want him to feel at home.

“I would love to join!” he said as he winked.

“Then, it’s settled! Today’s Tuesday, so how about we meet on…Saturday? 7:00 pm?”As soon as he finished his sentence, droplets of water began to fall, slowly at first then in earnest. Phichit cursed comically when a few drops splashed on the tip of his nose. “Aaaaah, Vicchan still needs to be walked!! Oh, right, don’t bother bringing alcohol—we have enough bottles to last us a lifetime already. Bye, guys!”He called out to Vicchan and they both headed towards the back of the property.

“I think I’ll stay here a little longer,” said Mila, still holding her branch.

“Me too,” instantly interjected Sara. “I brought an umbrella.”

Otabek, Victor, and Yuri, on the other hand, bid farewell to the two women, but not before the teen had turned back one last time, Potya still comfortably seated in his arms.

“Oh, by the way, Mila?”

“What is it, Yurio?” she questioned with an impish grin.

“That branch you’ve been holding onto? It’s poison oak, you stupid hag.”

He then dramatically put up his hood with one hand and turned on his heels, a satisfied smirk on his face, as Mila loudly yelped and threw the branch into the bushes, Sara cooing soothing words at her all the while. Otabek immediately followed Yuri and was soon joined by Victor, who noticed a fond smile directed at the teen on Otabek’s features. Potya herself seemed pleased.

It started pouring and they ended up running to their respective residences. When Victor entered his flat, completely drenched, and retrieved the doll from his pocket, he realized he had forgotten to thank Yuri.

***

On Saturday morning, Victor finally managed to video call Chris, busy as ever with the new season. They talked about competitions, common acquaintances (mostly skaters), and Chris shared the latest skating gossip with Victor. In return, Victor talked about his new home and neighbors, showing Chris the doll Yuri had gifted him.

“Hellooooo, Victor doll!” snickered Chris, as Victor lifted the tiny arm in a wave. “Now you’ll be able to play with yourself every day,” he purred, pushing his round glasses up his nose. “Assuming you’re not doing it already.”

“So crass, Chris,” remarked Victor with a fake gasp, making the doll put both hands in front of its mouth as if in shock. Gently stroking its head, he further commented, “Speaking of which, one of my neighbors actually saw some underwear I had forgotten in the utility room.”

“How lewd!” noted Chris with a suggestive smile, resting his chin on one hand.

“Indeed. He’s been avoiding me as a result, I think. A real shame since I would like to know him better.” Victor sighed as he put the doll away.

Chris waved his concerns off. “You’re Victor Nikiforov—he won’t be avoiding you for long, believe me.”

“And that is precisely what I don’t want,” whispered Victor with a sad smile.

Onscreen, Chris didn’t seem to have heard his comment as he inquired, “Will you be seeing him tonight at that party you told me about?”

“I suppose so. His flatmate said we would meet in their home. I’m going to cook something later today for dinner there.”Tapping his mouth with a finger, he pondered aloud, “I’m probably going to try and bake some dessert, although not a Russian one. Yuri forbade me from making any Russian dishes as he’s apparently going to make something special for today.”

Chris hummed noncommittally, stroking his cat that had jumped on the desk. Silence stretched between them for a few seconds before Chris spoke again, a serious expression on his face. “Victor, are you really done with skating?”

Victor lightly furrowed his brows.“What do you mean?”

“I mean, you won’t be coming back? Ever?”

“That’s the whole point of retirement, Chris,” said Victor with a dry laugh. “I can’t exactly say I’m retiring and keep competing.”

“But you could…I don’t know, coach, do ice shows or something,” Chris pointed out. “You don’t have to entirely disappear from the skating community like some kind of fairytale prince once midnight has struck.”

“Fair enough. However, I’m quite happy with the way things are present.” He tilted his head, hair obscuring one eye. “Plus, had I considered coaching, Yakov’s support would have been helpful and we haven’t talked in a while now.”

“Ah, is he still sulking?” laughed Chris in disbelief. Seeing Victor curtly nodding with a smile, he looked at his nails in disinterest. “Can’t say I’m entirely surprised. We were all shocked to hear the news. I thought Joseph was going to choke.” He paused. “He keeps asking me when you’ll come back, though, and he’s not the only one.”

“You know I like surprising people, Chris,” Victor replied pleasantly.

Chris frowned. “You do. But this,” he waved his hand as if encompassing the whole situation, “This isn’t like you, Victor.”

Victor stayed quiet and crossed his arms, internally wondering on what basis this assertion was made.

Chris sighed and continued, almost pleadingly, “Things aren’t the same without you. There’s no challenge if you aren’t there.”

“I couldn’t have imagined a season without you either,” acknowledged Victor. “But I do suppose you can still find enough motivation within yourself to get the gold at this year’s GFP, yes?”

Chris considered Victor’s words for a moment. Carefully he replied, “Probably…I guess competition will be fiercer now that you’ve left the first place on the podium vacant, so I’ll still have to give it my all.”He sounded like he wanted to say something more but ended up keeping quiet, an unhappy frown still adorning his face.

“That’s the spirit!” Victor cheered, ignoring Chris’s gloomy expression and eager to change the subject. “Melt the ice with that mature Eros of yours.”

“Right.” On the other side of the screen, Chris was suddenly distracted by someone presumably entering the room. He briefly reverted to French before turning to Victor.

“Guests?” guessed Victor.

Chris nodded.“Mathieu is taking me out for dinner tonight.”He then groaned, “But he came too early...again.”

“That must be disappointing indeed.”

“I guess I’ll have no choice but to teach him some manners later.” A small, salacious smirk played at the corner of Chris’ lips. It seemed like he was back to his chipper self once more.

Victor laughed, “Have fun! Say hi to Mathieu for me.”

“Will do! Sorry, Victor. Cheerio!”

Once the call disconnected, Victor’s smile slowly faded. He pursed his lips, gaze unfocused, a light crease appearing between his brows. On the plus side, thinking back on their conversation, Chris still took the situation much better than Yakov. Victor also understood Chris’s frustration of not being able to compete alongside him this season.

Nevertheless, why did everyone he knew have to make it sound like skating was all Victor was good for? Of course he excelled at it, but hadn’t he the right to do anything else should he so wish? Why did no one ever bother to take into account what he might feel or desire? After all, he was his own person, not some kind of doll made to dance for all eternity for a faceless audience’s viewing pleasure.

They may be expecting him to come back, but he didn’t plan on bending to people’s will like he had done so many times before, no. He wouldn’t let anyone take the last shards of sanity he desperately clung to.

Victor’s eyes hardened; he had made his peace with removing himself from competitions a long time ago. While he had already entertained Chris’s suggestions about coaching and the like, he would only make a decision and go back on the ice when he could once again skate for himself like he used to do. Until then, he didn’t see the point of pretending and suffocating even more, not after all it had done was prevent him from spending more time with Makkachin and make him feel miserable.

He shut down his laptop with a little more force than usual, grabbed the doll and went into the kitchen.

***

Victor stared at his batch of cute dog-shaped vanilla cupcakes, or rather what he hoped would pass for some cute dog-shaped cupcakes. It had been a while since he had tried his hand at baking and it showed. His kitchen was in shambles, he had a streak of flour on his cheek, and the cupcakes…well. At least they were probably edible.

He had wanted to cover the cupcakes with mocha frosting and half a marshmallow to assume the fur and snout, while chocolate covered almonds and pieces of strawberry starburst and caramels would make the nose, tongue, and ears. Initially, he had planned to use the almonds for the eyes as well, but it turned out he only had enough for the noses. Both caramels and starbursts had been running scarce, too, which Victor blamed on himself for not assessing the precise amount he’d need beforehand (and perhaps for eating a few sweets while waiting for his cupcakes to bake, although he didn’t want to admit it). Victor had thus resorted to use a bag of googly eyes someone had probably gifted him a while ago that he had never opened, having no real need for them.

The result was…interesting. His dogs’ eyes seemed like they were bulging out of their skulls, pink tongues lolling out of a sad mess of brown frosting. In short, it looked like these poor dogs had been squeezed too hard.

Victor pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. He didn’t have time to prepare something else since he still had to clean up the mess in his kitchen and get ready for tonight, so these would have to do. He had hoped to impress Yuuri with his dessert, make something to break the ice between them, but now he’d be lucky if Yuuri would even look at them and laugh at his sad attempt.

Time for plan B.

When Victor knocked on Phichit and Yuuri’s door at 7:00 pm sharp, he was holding a paper bag containing the cupcakes and hopefully constituted an attractive enough sight for Yuuri to both forget about their previous meetings and his failure at making a proper dessert. He had decided to dress semi-casually, wearing tight pants that highlighted his assets and an equally tight, deep blue dress shirt, the sleeves of which were rolled up at the elbows. He had also slightly swept his bangs to the side with a bit of gel, just like when he used to perform on the ice. Finally, Victor had made sure to put on some lip balm, adding a shiny gloss to his lips.

Yes, he thought as the door opened, this time he was neither sweaty nor tired from traveling nor trying to find his underwear. He honestly looked his best and had even dabbed a bit of floral-scented perfume on his neck, so chances were Yuuri would at least acknowledge him, right?

Predictably, Phichit was the one welcoming him.

“Victor! Come in, come in. I’m so happy you could make it!”

Victor noticed his smile was more strained than usual. Phichit, however, didn’t offer any explanation and led him to the living room, where he seated Victor on an old but comfy couch.

“Just give me a minute. In the meantime, make yourself at home!”

He then disappeared into the hallway. Left alone, Victor glanced at the room he was in. It was slightly cluttered and messy; the decoration clashing in a mix on styles, making it obvious two people lived there. Books and video games were piled on a small table next to the couch. Dog toys were strewn across the room (Victor couldn’t help but feel a twinge of sadness as he considered them). A bag of hamster treats, likely belonging to Phichit, had been left on a dresser. In front of Victor sat a big television, below which he could see a game console and controllers. All in all, the room looked lived in, but not in an unwelcoming manner. Chairs and a table had been further placed between the couch and television, a few bowls of chips, peanuts, and olives scattered across its surface. Realizing he was still clutching his bag, Victor decided to leave it there until Phichit came back.

He didn’t have to wait long. Soon enough, Phichit entered the living room once again, but before he could say anything, the doorbell rang. He laughed apologetically and scratched the back of his head. “Oops, better answer that one!”

Victor distantly heard Phichit welcoming his guests. Yuri was the first to enter the room, followed by Otabek, Mila, and Sara, all of them carrying plates and containers of various sizes. They greeted him, except for Yuri, who merely grunted in his direction.

“Where is Nikolai?” asked Victor while Phichit closed the door.

“Grandpa’s back is acting up so he’s staying in,” answered Yuri. “He still helped me make these though, so be grateful, you lot!”He then proudly exhibited his plate and partly removed the aluminum foil covering it. A delicious smell instantly wafted through the room. “Katsudon pirozhki,” he announced, before wrapping the steaming plate once more and putting it on the table.

Sara, Phichit, and Mila loudly cheered.

For Victor’s benefit, Otabek commented, “There’s scrambled egg, rice, and pork cutlet inside.”

“Wow! Amazing!” said Victor, clapping with a smile as Mila and Sara took a seat next to him on the couch. Yuri sat on a nearby chair, looking pleased with himself.

“As for us, we made pasta salad and tiramisu!” revealed Mila, while Sara placed both items on the table. On the other side, Otabek had also deposited his own dish.

“Beka made manti, they’re fucking delicious,” Proclaimed Yuri before digging into the nearest bowl of chips.

“Meat dumplings, right?” Phichit was practically drooling. “You guys know I can’t cook for shit, so I brought fortune cookies for funsies.”

“What about the Katsudon?” inquired Yuri with a frown.

“Yuuri was supposed to make katsudon but there was, ah, a change of plan,” replied Phichit with that same strained smile Victor had seen earlier.

“What happened? Is he sick? Where is he?” worriedly asked Mila and Sara.

“Nah, his nerves were acting up and, uh, what we did to remedy that kinda backfired?” Phichit grimaced. “I told him to refresh a bit before joining us. Don’t worry too much, though, he’s fine!” he cheerfully added.

Victor hoped he wasn’t the reason for Yuuri’s nerves, and seeing from the look of the people in the room, he wasn’t the only one sharing that thought. The awkward silence was broken by Yuri, who glared at Victor.

“And what have you made, huh?” he challenged. “Nothing that can possibly top my pirozkhi, I’m sure.”

All heads turned to Victor. He smiled. “As a matter of fact, you are right, Yurio.” He dug into his own bag to retrieve the cupcakes but frowned when his hand touched soft tissue instead. His suspicions were confirmed when the Victor doll was what he extricated from its depths. Victor was confused, as he didn’t remember putting the doll in the bag. Had he been that distracted?

Yuri scoffed at Victor having brought the doll, while Phichit cooed at how cute it was. Sara, however, furrowed her brows, a pensive expression on her face. She and Mila exchanged a look.

“Where did you find this?” abruptly questioned Mila.

Victor didn’t reply straight away, putting the doll on the table and taking the cupcakes out instead. Yuri probably wouldn’t want to be exposed as the one who had made the doll, especially since Mila and Sara seemed to enjoy teasing him. Therefore…

“It was a gift,” he finally said, a soft smile playing on his lips. “I forgot it was there.”

Mila didn’t seem convinced but abstained from asking anything more. Victor opened the lid of the container and changed the subject. “I wanted to bake cupcakes but I’m afraid I’m not that good at decorating them!”

Upon seeing the poor cupcakes, Yuri burst into laughter. Phichit tried to look sorry but couldn’t hide his smile. Otabek’s eyes slightly widened in surprise. Mila and Sara, however, started talking together quietly, glancing at the doll all the while.

The door suddenly slammed open, interrupting the ruckus created by the contents of Victor’s bag. His heart caught in his chest. On the threshold stood Yuuri, Vicchan on his heels. The dog wandered near the table, surely smelling food and treats. Phichit immediately scolded him when he tried to stand on two legs to sniff at Otabek’s dumplings.

“How are you feeling, Yuuri?” asked Phichit while giving Vicchan’s nose a light boop.

To Victor’s surprise, Yuuri laughed, light and bubbly, as he fully entered the room.

_Oh_, thought Victor. Yuuri was a mess. He wore a simple t-shirt and jeans, which were unbuttoned for some reason. His hair was disheveled and his glasses askew, but it was his flushed cheeks and gleaming eyes that held all of Victor’s attention, strangely rendering Yuuri even more dazzling.

He distantly heard Phichit whisper to Otabek and Yuri, “I told him to drink something to unwind, since he was so nervous about tonight. I didn’t expect him to start downing liquor like it was water!”

Yuuri’s eyes landed on Victor, still poised on the couch, and they started to sparkle even more, if such a thing was possible. “Victoooooor, you’re here!” shouted Yuuri, hurrying to him as if he was going to disappear. He took hold of Victor’s hand and fervently shook it, his aim sure for someone who had one too many drinks. Yuuri then noticed the doll.

“Hello, tiny Victor,” He said, slurring slightly with hints of an accent showing. He then proceeded to take the doll’s hand and softly kissed it. “This is what I wanted to do when we first met.” He looked Victor dead in the eye as he said it, a provocative smile on his face.

Victor’s mouth opened in surprise. This Yuuri seemed so different from his usual self. He was bolder. More seductive. Victor decided he liked it.

“How about we try again then?” proposed Victor with a flirty smile of his own, extending his hand, palm down. “I’m Victor. Pleased to meet you.”

Yuuri beamed at him, taking the offered hand. “Yuuri, and the pleasure is aaaaaaaall mine.” His lips lightly grazed Victor’s knuckles, brown lashes fanning his red cheeks for an instant before he looked at Victor once again, something akin to adoration on his face “You have the prettiest eyes I have ever seen.”

Victor blushed, his skin pleasantly tingling where Yuuri’s lips had touched. He then remembered they weren’t alone, thanks to the retching sounds Yuri was making.

“You are both gross!”

Yuuri dramatically pointed at the teen. “I challenge you to a doff—A donce aff— Whatever, a dancing contest. I’ll show you who’s gross!”

Phichit laughed in disbelief, looking like he wanted to argue with Yuuri, but still went and put on some music.

That evening was the best Victor had in years. The Yuris danced until it was clear that Yuuri had the stronger moves, his body moving as if it was making the music rather than following it. Afterwards, they ate the food they had brought and Victor had to admit the katsudon pirozhki were delicious. Yuuri gave Victor detailed reviews of pretty much all his programs, sometimes slipping into Japanese when something had particularly impressed him, which Victor found endearing.

All the while, Vicchan kept begging for scraps, despite Phichit despairing that his bowl of dog food was full. Yuuri ended up caving in and offering him a tiny morsel of pork cutlet, after which Vicchan sat near Otabek, who gave him many head and belly scratches.

When they had finished dinner and it was time to eat dessert, Yuuri insisted on stuffing himself with Victor’s cupcakes, saying they were the best he had ever eaten. To Victor’s delight, Yuri himself admitted that if he ate them with his eyes closed, they tasted good.

Yuuri then asked Victor to dance with him. The more they danced, the more Victor marveled at the way their bodies slotted against each other perfectly. Yuuri watched him like he was the only thing that mattered. Even if Yuuri’s skin was flushed with alcohol and sweaty with exertion, Victor knew he must be looking at this enchanting mess of a man the same way. Yuuri had peeled off Victor’s mask with a simple snap of his fingers, and Victor had never felt happier and more carefree. They could have been alone for how little he cared about what the others might think—the only thing he saw was Yuuri.

Yuuri ended up taking Victor by the hand and leading him to his room to the collective whistles of Phichit, Mila, and Sara, in addition to Otabek’s clapping.

Yuuri’s bedroom was very neat and tidy, and also very much covered in posters of Victor. Phichit certainly wasn’t kidding when he’d said Yuuri was his biggest fan. Yuuri looked at Victor with a determined look on his face and his accent was stronger than ever as he slurred, “I brought you here to ask you something. Vikutoru, can I hug you?”

“I’d like nothing more,” replied Victor with a heart-shaped smile, enjoying the way Yuuri’s accent curled around his name.

During the course of the evening, Yuuri had somehow shed his clothes and was now in only his socks and briefs. Victor shivered slightly as he felt Yuuri’s bare skin against his shirt. Yuuri nuzzled Victor’s neck and whispered, “You smell so nice.” He seemed lost in thought for a few seconds before he added, “You’re so beautiful, too, ‘specially tonight.”

“I wanted to be beautiful for you,” Victor confessed, a soft, vulnerable smile on his lips.

“You always are.”Still holding onto Victor, Yuuri blurted out, “You remember when I found your underwear in the washing machine?” Victor nodded, an amused look on his face. “Well, if you hadn’t come, I could have kept it,” Yuuri finished mournfully.

“Yuuuuri!” he gasped, blushing. “I didn’t know you were such a naughty man!”

“Vicchan is only a nickname,” further disclosed Yuuri, rambling on. “His real name is Victor; I named him after you.” He wetted his lips with his tongue, Victor’s eyes following the movement. “I only got a poodle because you had one.”

At the mention of poodles, Victor’s smile turned a little wobbly but he didn’t say anything. Instead, he caressed Yuuri’s round cheek, unbothered by the sheen of sweat. Yuuri sighed in contentment before playfully nipping Victor’s thumb as it rested near the corner of his mouth. At Victor’s sharp intake of breath, he quizzically looked up and scrutinized Victor’s face, silently asking for permission. Something in Victor’s eyes must have reassured him, as he took hold of Victor’s hand. Maintaining eye contact, Yuuri then softly kissed the pad of each finger, the hint of wetness sending pangs of arousal throughout Victor’s body.

He knew they didn’t really know each other and were probably rushing, but they felt so right together. Surely Yuuri felt it too. Victor sighed as Yuuri kissed his palm, then the inside of his wrist. It had been so long since someone had treated Victor like an actual human being and not a walking gold medal.

“Yuuri…can I kiss you too?” he whispered. Big brown eyes lit up and Yuuri nodded, but Victor was surprised to feel Yuuri’s hand cover his mouth when he tried to bring their lips together.

“Bikutoru,” said Yuuri sternly. “You need to take me on a few dates before you try kissing me on the mouth. That’s the rules.”

Victor burst into laughter, the sound partially muffled by Yuuri’s hand, which he removed and gently cradled in his. “Very well, Yuuri. How many?”

Yuuri shrugged. “Dunno, more than one.”He frowned. “I may want you really much but I have selk—Self-estme— Pride.”

Victor agreed, impossibly enamored.“Okay. I’d love to go on dates with you, Yuuri. Whenever you want, I will be waiting.”

He brought Yuuri’s hand to his lips and bestowed a trail of kisses from the back of it to the inside of his wrist, just like Yuuri had done. Yuuri watched him with a fond but sleepy look. He then started yawning.

“Let’s get you into bed, shall we?” murmured Victor, leading Yuuri to the bed. He helped him remove his socks, lightly tracing the instep of Yuuri’s feet as he did so. Once Yuuri was comfortably installed, Victor removed his glasses.

Yuuri surprised him once more by putting his arms around Victor’s neck and kissing him on the cheek. “Good night Victoru.”

He was then out like a light. Victor lovingly raked his fingers through Yuuri’s hair one last time before heading back to the living room, where Phichit was sitting alone on the couch with Vicchan on his lap.

“Everyone left only, like, five minutes ago. Don’t worry,” stated Phichit, answering Victor’s silent question. “Is Yuuri in bed?”

“He is. He is asleep right now.”

Phichit drummed his fingers on the armrest. “I knew drunk Yuuri was like a hurricane but I didn’t think I’d have to worry about that today. I’m gonna have a field day dealing with him tomorrow.” He sighed and fished a small package out of a box, which he handed to Victor with a big smile.“But never mind that for now, here’s your fortune cookie!”

Victor pocketed the confection and soon took his leave, thanking Phichit for organizing such an entertaining party.

That night, for the first time since his arrival, Victor slept wonderfully. He dreamt of Yuuri and their dancing, unaware of the doll’s button eyes invariably watching him in his slumber from the bedside table.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh no, Victor now has a creepy doll watching him! D:
> 
> Victor's cupcakes (but better) [ here ](https://www.bitememore.com/feedme/218/vanilla-dog-cupcakes-with-mocha-frosting-recipe)
> 
> Thanks for reading!


	3. You must be mine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello, it is I! 
> 
> First of all, thank you so much for the kudos and comments!! They mean the world to me and I'm very happy you guys like the story <3 I hope This chapter will keep you entertained as well since...Things happen and the plot thickens! *dun dun dunn*
> 
> This chapter features gorgeous art by the lovely [Tundra_Kitsune](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tundra_Kitsune)
> 
> Also, I was inspired by [this song](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W0KnjR9rpYs) while writing this chapter, so feel free to give it a listen if you want :D
> 
> Also also, thanks to [Faeriefirefly](https://archiveofourown.org/users/faeriefirefly/pseuds/faeriefirefly) for betaing and being awesome!!! 
> 
> Lastly, this chapter is dedicated to my good friend [Verity](https://archiveofourown.org/users/PenelopeGrace/pseuds/Verity) . At long last, the moment has come for the Beldam to *redacted* Victor :o

After the party, Victor felt happier than he had in a long time as he waited for Yuuri to come and claim his prize.He certainly hadn’t expected Yuuri to have such an alluring side with how demure he had seemed at first sight. He truly embodied ‘Never judge a book by its cover’.

For days, Victor longingly sighed as he followed his daily routine, his mind coveting sweeter nectar. He could still feel Yuuri’s soft lips on his hand and wrist, hot breath tickling his skin. The touch had truly felt electric. Victor dreamily wondered whether their first kiss would trigger such a strong reaction too. He was glad Yuuri had been the reasonable one despite being drunk. Victor wanted to savor every step of the slow, seductive dance they had begun that would inevitably bring them together. He wanted whatever there was between them to be meaningful.

Victor had refrained from dating fans after one unsavory accident when he was younger and too eager to please. Since then, he had striven to maintain a professional distance between him and his public, even after he had retired. He had stopped dating altogether after a few disastrous relationships, but things had felt different with Yuuri.

Yuuri was a huge fan of his but had never expressed any frustration towards Victor’s retirement nor asked him what his plans were, now that he wasn’t competing anymore. Despite his obvious interest and the racy comment about wanting to keep Victor’s underwear (which, if Victor were honest, didn’t bother him as much as it would have coming from anyone else), Yuuri had respected Victor, had acted like Victor was something precious that deserved to be cherished. No one had treated him that kindly in years. No one had stolen his heart the way Yuuri had since their very first meeting either.

Therefore, Victor waited. And waited.

When days turned into weeks, Victor started to wonder why Yuuri hadn’t come to find him yet. He had wanted to follow Yuuri’s pace but it almost seemed like Yuuri had forgotten all about him. Victor hadn’t seen him anywhere since that fateful night. He thus decided it was past time to pay Yuuri a visit. 

As luck would have it, he ended up coming face-to-face with Yuuri and Vicchan on his way to Yuuri and Phichit’s flat. Vicchan instantly stepped forwards to greet him, tail wagging all the while, whereas his owner froze like a deer caught in headlights.

Victor petted Vicchan’s head and praised him, the dog happily boofing at the attention he received. Once the cute poodle had had his fill and went to sniff at a nearby patch of dirt, Victor sent a heart-shaped smile Yuuri’s way and drew close, his heart racing.

“Hello, Yuuri,” he purred, glad for the fortuitous meeting. “It’s been a while.”

Yuuri didn’t answer, a delicate shade of red quickly coloring his cheeks. He began nervously wringing his hands. Victor found this reaction quite strange as Yuuri didn’t quite look like the same man who had very bluntly admitted his attraction before. In fact, he seemed to be back to his shyer self. Nevertheless, Victor carried on.

“I feel so lonely in my flat, Yuuuuuri,” he whined with a sad pout as he coquettishly batted his eyelashes. “Won’t you join me and keep me company?”He followed his request by gently brushing his fingers under Yuuri’s chin.

Yuuri audibly gulped, which Victor took as a good sign. Unfortunately, his hopes were quickly crushed, when instead of the flirty retort he was expecting, Yuuri all but shoved Victor away with a resounding “No!” Yuuri then rushed to Vicchan and lifted him into his arms, looking at Victor like he was the devil incarnate.

Utterly baffled, Victor tentatively took a step forwards.

“…Yuuri? Are you okay?”

Still flushed, Yuuri silently turned his back to Victor and ran away in lieu of answer, clutching Vicchan for dear life. Victor could only stand there like an idiot, heart shattering. He didn’t know what had happened to make Yuuri react like that. What had he done wrong? Was it something he said? That seemed unlikely, as Yuuri and he were so in sync the night of the party. But Yuuri had been drunk. What if he had realized, come morning, that he wanted nothing to do with Victor after all? Maybe he had been disappointed that Victor’s media persona didn’t match his true self?

Victor suddenly felt very tired. Not having any answers to soothe his troubled mind, he decided to go back to his condo.

As he was passing the utility room, he heard arguing coming from inside. He peered through the open door and saw Otabek, looking rather frustrated, in a heated discussion with Mila and Sara. From what Victor gathered, Mila had thought she had seen something ominous in the room and had ended up switching off the boiler by accident. Since said boiler was rather old, it now wouldn’t turn back on, which quite pissed Otabek off. Apparently, it wasn’t the first time a similar situation had happened either.Victor chose not to interrupt their conversation, not really in the mood to talk anymore.

Once at home, he still mindlessly tried to turn the heat on in the flat to no avail. He sighed, wishing the fireplace was still working to warm the place up a little. Thankfully, it wasn’t that cold just yet, so he would survive just fine. Plus, surely Yuuri wouldn’t be against cuddling to share body heat, right?

Unfortunately, over the next few days, whenever Victor sought Yuuri out using various excuses as a pretext, he was incomprehensibly ignored. Every single time, Victor went back to a cold and empty condo with a heavy heart. To top it all off, he still couldn’t get a restful night’s sleep. The constant rebuttal, the fact that his flat was unpleasantly chilly, and his lack of sleep soon started to take their toll on Victor’s mood.

The epitome of frustration was, however, reached when Yuuri wordlessly closed his door on Victor’s face after Victor had come under the pretense of borrowing some salt while Phichit was hanging out at the Pink Palace. Holding back his tears, Victor went home.

_Why is Yuuri ignoring me? _he thought sadly as he sat on the couch in the living room, desperate for some distraction. His wish was soon granted as he noticed a splash of color from the corner of his eye. It was the Victor doll, lying on the floor, small arms pointing towards the wall. Nonplussed, Victor went to grab it, wondering how it had ended up there, when something else caught his attention. A small door was embedded in the wall, painted in the same exact color so that it blended in perfectly. No wonder he hadn’t spotted it before.

Curious, Victor put the doll back on the floor and inspected the door. It didn’t have a handle, only a tiny lock, and no matter how hard he tried, it wouldn’t open. He retrieved the set of keys Nikolai had given him and tried them all without success. Defeated, Victor gently tapped his index on his lips, lost in thoughts. He didn’t have anything better to do right now, so he might as well try to find the key.

As he pondered about where it could be, Victor abruptly remembered that the desk in his bedroom had already been there when he moved in. If he recalled correctly, it had a drawer he had never bothered to check. Driven by this sudden impulse, Victor went to his bedroom, and sure enough, the desk indeed sported a drawer. He opened it mechanically, not expecting to actually find anything interesting inside. To his surprise, it wasn’t empty. An ancient-looking black key rested inside, the bow rounded with four smaller holes, making it look like a button. Taken aback by the peculiar design, he observed the key for a few seconds before removing it from the drawer, a light crease between his eyebrows.

Key in hand, Victor retreated back to the living room and sat cross-legged in front of the door, the doll’s lifeless button eyes staring at him from behind. The key slid into the lock easily and a satisfying click told Victor the door was now unlocked. Sadly, the space behind the door was bricked up. Victor sighed. He honestly didn’t know what he had hoped to find. Still, what a letdown. He closed the door again, not even bothering to lock it. What was the point anyway?

As Victor glanced at the empty room, he was hit by a wave of sadness, feeling like the walls were closing in on him. He wished he understood why Yuuri acted the way he did. He wished Yakov would answer his messages. He wished Makkachin were still there to comfort him. He didn’t want to be alone.

Victor took his phone out of his pocket and debated on sending Chris a message to distract himself from his spiraling thoughts. Remembering their previous conversation, he chose to look at pictures of Makkachin on his camera roll instead. It usually lifted his spirits when he was having a bad day, but today, it unfortunately only made matters worse. As he choked back a sob after the first few photographs, he headed to his kitchen.

He needed a drink.

***

_Victor had been running for so long. His breath was labored, his legs ached, yet he still ran. He had to get away, had to escape. He knew something was looking for him, he could feel it. His heart beat wildly in his chest as he sensed the presence getting closer and closer. Something roughly grabbed him by the shoulder and he bit back a scream as he fell. He tried to fight back, wildly trashing around while razor-sharp teeth pierced his skin. He had to escape, he had to escape, he had to_—

Victor woke with a start. As soon as he opened his eyes, he was blinded by a bright ray of moonlight shining through his bedroom windows. It seemed he had forgotten to close the curtains before crashing. Propping himself against his many pillows, he tiredly rubbed at his eyes and realized moisture was clinging to his lashes and his cheeks were wet. Had he been crying while he slept?

Feeling a bit cold, he further noticed he had thrown his covers haphazardly across the bed, exposing himself to the chill of the room. God, he really hoped the heating system would be repaired soon. It also seemed like he had gone to bed clad only in his bikini briefs.

Victor attempted to locate his phone to see what time it was, but he had probably left it elsewhere in the flat as he didn’t find it. He felt slightly dizzy and disoriented; he’d possibly had too much to drink. Crossing his arms, he endeavored to remember what had happened: the only person he genuinely wanted to connect with avoided him like the plague and he had basically ended up drinking himself into a stupor as a result. Victor groaned, pressing his palms into his face.

Ever since his sweet Makkachin had died, he had been painfully aware of how alone he truly was. How empty he felt. Nevertheless, he still tried to make it through the day with a smile. It was cruel of Yuuri, he thought, to bring light into his monochrome life, igniting hope for brighter days one instant only to extinguish it the next, leaving him to pick up the pieces afterwards.

Next to him, the Victor doll leaned against one of the lamps on the nightstand, head tilted towards its owner and seeming almost as pensive as he was. Victor gave it a cursory glance and stretched his arms. Maybe he ought to go back to sleep and deal with everything in the morning, which sounded like a reasonable enough idea. Brooding, especially in the middle of the night, wouldn’t do him any good. Having made up his mind, he lay down again, retrieved his covers, and closed his eyes, fully intending to try to get some rest.

He was finally starting to drift off when he began to hear noises coming from another room. Furrowing his eyebrows, Victor listened closely. Maybe it was normal? The flat was quite old, after all. However, to his alarm, the sounds soon morphed into footsteps. They sounded like they were quickly approaching. Heart hammering away in his chest, Victor opened his eyes once more and stared at his bedroom door, which had been left ajar. The moonlight didn’t reach that part of the room, so Victor could only squint to peer into the darkness as he waited, completely petrified, for whatever creature lurking out there to come in and kill him, probably.

He didn’t have to wait long. Soon, the footsteps stopped right in front of the door, which slowly turned on its hinges, creaking all the while. Victor held his breath, his mind racing, and distantly mourned the fact he had nothing worth defending himself with. Were the rumors true after all? What would Yuuri say when they found his mauled body in a few days, he wondered? Would he feel sorry? Would he even care?

To his utter surprise and relief, the open door didn’t reveal any kind of monstrous beast standing in the doorway, rather the bulky shape of a...dog? That was just absurd. How would a dog be able to enter his flat? Plus, Vicchan was the only dog living in the building at the moment and the one he had in front of him seemed far too big to fit the name. Quickly fumbling with the bedside lights, Victor could only catch a glimpse of a very familiar brown standard poodle before the animal barked and left his sight. He felt like he had taken a punch to the gut. Makkachin? But that couldn’t be.

“Wait!”

Hurriedly getting out of bed, Victor retrieved the pair of sweatpants he had carelessly thrown on the floor before going to sleep, almost lost his balance while trying to put them on, and all but rushed to the hallway. Another bark directed him to the living room, where the poodle seemed to be waiting.

As soon as Victor entered the room, the dog went through the small door he had examined earlier during the day, now wide open—the door that couldn’t lead anywhere since it was all bricked up. Victor cautiously approached the spot where the poodle had disappeared, and kneeling to take a better look, he was amazed to find that the entrance was no longer sealed shut. Instead, a passageway seemed to be expanding before his eyes, glowing softly in the night.

Dumbfounded, he pressed a hand against his forehead, brows furrowing. Was he having a very strange dream? Was he that drunk? Delusion or not, he felt compelled to enter the door, the glow tantalizing and warm. What ended up convincing him, though, was the faint bark he could hear inside, as if calling out to him. Gaze hardening in determination, Victor made his way inside the passage.

It was slightly wider than his shoulders, the ceiling low enough that he had to crawl his way through. While he felt cramped, he was rather thankful for the soft, silky material the floor seemed to be made of as it didn’t put too much strain on his knees. He rapidly made his way to the other side, where another door led into an illuminated room.

Getting up and dusting off his knees, Victor hesitantly took a few steps inside and suddenly found himself staring at an exact replica of the room he had just left. Nothing was amiss, from the trinkets and photos he had brought with him when he moved to the marble bust and the full-length mirror leaning against the wall. The only difference was that, contrary to his flat, a roaring fire burned in the fireplace, basking the room in amber and golden hues, making it much warmer and welcoming. Even the carpet under his bare feet seemed impossibly softer.

Victor felt so confused. How could his flat exist in two places at the same time? That made no sense. Was he indeed dreaming? A soft bark drew his attention away from his musings and his eyes widened at the sight of the standard poodle that had lured him there, warily eyeing him from a dim corner of the room. He hadn’t been mistaken earlier: from what he could see, the dog was the spitting image of his dear Makkachin. Victor softly sighed at the thought. Unsurprisingly, it still hurt to think he would never see her again.

Slowly crouching so as not to frighten the poor thing, Victor gently cooed reassuring words and extended his hand to entice the dog into coming closer for pets. As if understanding his intentions, the Makkachin look-alike padded over to him while tentatively wagging their tail.

“What a good dog you are,” praised Victor while reaching for the canine’s head “You mustn’t be afraid of me, I just_—_”

His hand stopped midway as the dog fully stepped into the light, Victor realizing with no small amount of horror that it had black buttons for eyes.

“O_-_oh God…oh my God.” Deep inside, Victor could hear alarm bells ringing. He knew he should run away at that very instant but he felt so drained. Plus, this was all a dream, right? There was no way this was real. He shouldn’t have drunk so much earlier.

Victor cautiously raised his hand once more, offering it to the dog for a sniff. It readily complied, nuzzling his outstretched palm with interest before flopping onto its back and showing its belly, tongue lolling out. Clearly, the dog had quickly deemed Victor worthy of its trust. Despite fear still lingering in his heart, Victor couldn’t suppress an amused smile at the sight of the button eyes glancing up at him in an almost pleading way.

“Alright, sweetheart, you win,” he finally laughed softly as he kneeled and proceeded to give the poor thing its awaited belly rubs. This had to be the more realistic dream he ever had, he thought distantly, as he carded his fingers through the curly brown fur, the hair soft under his fingertips. His senses felt so acute, not at all dulled as they normally were while he slept. Was it the alcohol? He’d had his fair share of drinking during his rare nights out with Chris and it had never resulted in hallucinations this incredibly real…or this specifically creepy. 

As if on cue, a voice spoke up, melodious and airy. “You two seem to get along pretty well… I have to say, I’m jealous.”

Victor raised his head so fast he almost gave himself whiplash and stilled his ministrations. In front of him, in the entryway of the living room, stood none other than Yuuri Katsuki. Except he wasn’t quite. Like the Makkachin look-alike, the newcomer had buttons for eyes. In stark contrast with his black gelled back hair and unusually pale skin, this Yuuri had carmine lips which extended in a Cheshire-like grin. He was also much leaner than his counterpart. On his hands, he wore red nail polish that matched the red of his mouth. Most surprising of all was his attire, legs encompassed in leather, with more leather and mesh mixing on his torso in a revealing yet subtle way. Rhinestones placed on his waist and right shoulder complemented the outfit beautifully. It reminded Victor of an ice skating costume.

“Like what you see?” teased not-quite-Yuuri, cocking a hip. The gesture accented his curves and Victor could only gawk, pink dusting his nose. The reaction seemed to please the other man as he flashed another grin that hinted at sharper than normal teeth.

“Yuuri…? Is that you?” Victor all but whispered, keeping his hands on the poodle to keep himself grounded.

“Close enough. I’m the Other Yuuri,” he quipped, gaze appreciatively poring over Victor.

“What do you mean the _Other Yuuri_?” asked Victor incredulously.

“Well, this is the Other world,” answered the Other Yuuri, slowly making his way to where Victor and the Makkachin look-alike were. “Hence, I’m the Other Yuuri.” Stopping near the two of them, he paused, biting his lower lip in an almost bashful manner “I_—_ We have been waiting for you, Victor.”

Victor’s eyes widened in surprise “For…me?” He quickly glanced at the poodle, which nuzzled his hand affectionately as if confirming what the Other Yuuri had just said.

“We’ve been alone for so long, Victor. Not many people come here.” Kneeling in front of Victor, the Other Yuuri continued, “Loneliness…I’m sure that’s a feeling you’ve experienced as well. Isn’t it just unbearable?”

“I_—” _Victor lowered his head, not trusting himself to speak. The words hit far too close to home.

Gently cupping Victor’s cheek, the Other Yuuri carried on. “I know you understand me. We are the same. We feel empty because no one ever bothered to see _us_. No one cares to.”

Victor felt like his heart would burst out of his chest, his feelings resonating so strongly with those words. He thought of Yakov and Chris, of all the people who, ultimately, had just wanted the Living Legend, never Victor.

In a soothing manner, the Other Yuuri started tracing small circles on Victor’s cheek with his thumb. “You don’t have to be alone anymore, dearest. We will be here for you.”

The Other Yuuri’s melodic voice reverberated through the room, enveloping Victor along with the gentle touch. It rendered Victor acutely aware of how starved he was for contact. Without realizing, he’d started nuzzling the Other Yuuri’s palm, seeking its warmth. He barely noticed how cold the hand holding him was.

“Poor thing. Being denied the sweet touch of another for so long is far too cruel,” the Other Yuuri whispered.

Victor felt the press of chill lips against his forehead. He slowly opened his eyes, not remembering when he had closed them. The Other Yuuri was sitting so close, he could see that his black buttons were sewn in place with amber thread. His smile seemed softer. <strike>Like his own Yuuri’s</strike>.

“Will you keep me company tonight?” the Other Yuuri asked in a sweet voice.

Dazed, Victor nodded. The line between dream and reality seemed to blur. He didn’t know what to think anymore. The only thing he knew was that he desperately wanted Yuuri Katsuki, with or without buttons for eyes. He wanted him so much it hurt. Only Yuuri could rescue him from the despair that threatened to swallow him whole.

Victor slowly turned his head to kiss the inside of the Other Yuuri’s hand like he had done that night when his Yuuri had been drunk. The Other Yuuri chuckled softly and Victor could see him getting closer still, lips close enough to touch.However, Victor turned his head at the last second and the Other Yuuri’s lips ended up pecking the corner of his mouth instead.

Heart fluttering from the almost kiss nonetheless, Victor pouted.

“Aren’t you going to take me on a date before trying to kiss me?”

The Other Yuuri looked confused for a second before laughing. “Oh, I will do even better than that, sweet Victor,” he all but purred. “I will court you and make you want to stay by my side forever.”

He lightly trailed his fingers along Victor’s clavicles and bare chest, the cold touch making Victor shiver for a different reason altogether.

“My, my…are you always this casually dressed for your dates or were you just trying to impress me? If so, I’m flattered.”

Victor retorted,“You have yet to ask me out on one.”

The Other Yuuri stood, taking hold of Victor’s hands to invite him to do the same.

“Then allow me the pleasure of taking you on a proper date tomorrow. For tonight, how about eating some of the cake I was baking before you arrived?”

Victor nodded with a small heart-shaped smile. Not letting go of Victor’s hand, the Other Yuuri took to the direction of the kitchen, poodle in tow. As he followed his lead, Victor curiously inquired, “Do you like baking?”

The Other Yuuri grinned. “Of course I do! Embellishing whatever I create, especially.”

Once in the kitchen_—_a faithful replica of Victor’s in all aspects except for the tantalizing smell coming out of the oven_—_the Other Yuuri slipped on an apron as well as cute blue oven mitts shaped like dog heads, and took two cakes out of the oven. The smaller one, he gave to the poodle, assuring Victor it had been specifically made for dogs. Removing the mittens and urging Victor to sit down, the Other Yuuri carefully added the finishing touches to the other cake, softly humming while he did so.

As he waited, Victor was glad to note that just like the living room, the kitchen was warm. Glancing at the window, he could see his reflection in the glass, the complete darkness outside emphasizing the brightness of the room and the paleness of his skin. Turning his attention to the stove next to the Other Yuuri, Victor noticed a simmering pot that held what pleasantly smelt like hot cocoa.

Still humming, the Other Yuuri opened a cupboard and took out a mug, in which he poured the beverage. After a few more minutes, he neatly arranged everything on a tray, which he brought to the table after removing his apron.

Upon seeing what the Other Yuuri had baked, Victor was left stunned. The cake was chocolate and raspberry with icing so glossy it seemed a shame to cut it. Darker icing on top spelled out _Welcome Home, Victor~_. Next to the cake was a steaming mug of hot chocolate, in which a cute poodle holding a flower had been drawn with milk. Victor suddenly realized he was quite hungry, most likely having skipped dinner earlier.

Taking in Victor’s ravenous and amazed expression, the Other Yuuri smiled smugly. He next cut a generous slice onto a plate, which he handed Victor with a fork. “Go on. Try it!”

Victor took a bite and had to refrain from moaning as an explosion of sweetness invaded his mouth.The richness of the dark chocolate combined with the sharp taste of raspberries was heavenly. Before he knew it, he had finished his plate and the Other Yuuri was cutting him a new slice. Then another. And another, until Victor was full.

Unfortunately, Victor didn’t manage to eat the whole cake despite most definitely wanting to. Instead, he drank the hot chocolate, marveling at the sweet taste and creamy texture, albeit a bit sad about ruining the latte art.

All the while, the Other Yuuri kept watching him with a loving smile. Once Victor had finished drinking, he tenderly combed his fingers through Victor’s hair. Starting to feel a bit drowsy after eating so much so quickly, Victor mumbled, “It was delicious; thank you.”

Unhappy with the lack of attention, the poodle rested its head on Victor’s lap and whined. Victor slowly caressed its snout and forehead. “I take it you’re the Other Vicchan then?” he asked with a tired chuckle.

The Other Yuuri smiled widely. “He will answer to any name you deem fit to give him.”

Surprised, Victor replied, “But, doesn’t he have a name already? He’s your dog, isn’t he?”

“Whatever is mine belongs to you as well, Victor.” Taking hold of Victor’s chin between his thumb and forefinger, the Other Yuuri added, “Reciprocally, you are all mine, my sweet.” His smile grew sharper. “How lucky I am!”

With a soft hum, he proceeded to slowly trace the curve of Victor’s lips and cheekbones, stopping at the dimples under Victor’s eyes. “Yes, very lucky indeed,” the Other Yuuri murmured, a suddenly unreadable expression appearing on his face and vanishing just as quickly.

Victor blinked, unsure of how to answer. Letting go of Victor’s chin, the Other Yuuri tilted his head, button eyes inquisitive and expression pleasant once again. “So, what will it be?”

The poodle boofed and looked at Victor with a hopeful and expectant look. Victor pensively scratched him behind the ears as he tried to think of a name. His heart swelled with warmth as he remembered why Yuuri had named his own dog Vicchan, which gave him the perfect idea.

With a kind and secretive smile, he gently squeezed the poodle’s cheeks. “Yuracya.”

Yuracya instantly barked, tail wagging madly, and tried to smother Victor in wet dog kisses while the Other Yuuri cooed at the adorable scene they both made.

“It’s settled then! Yuracya it is.” The Other Yuuri lightly patted the poodle’s head. “Isn’t that a lovely name?”

The poodle barked again, as if agreeing with that statement. Victor stifled a yawn, feeling more and more tired by the second. The Other Yuuri delicately put his hand on Victor’s shoulder, a concerned look on his face. “I’m sorry; you’re not usually up this late, are you?”

Victor shook his head. “I just haven’t been sleeping very well recently.”

The Other Yuuri tutted, “That’s not good at all, you need your rest. Let me show you to your room.”

They first stopped by the bathroom, at Victor’s request so he could brush his teeth, after which the Other Yuuri led Victor to his bedroom. Upon entering, Victor was surprised to see some striking differences compared to the bedroom he had left behind. A massive walk-in closet now occupied a corner of the room. Shelves lined the wall with various books and a doggy bed had been put under the windows. On the desk, a bag of dog treats had been left along with a box full of dog toys.

“Yuracya will be staying with you!” the Other Yuuri commented cheerfully while the poodle went to lie down in his doggy bed. Before he could even think, Victor blurted, “What about you?”

The Other Yuuri stared at Victor in fake shock, then hid a smirk behind his hand. “Not so shy anymore, eh?”

Victor pouted. “We could hug until we fall asleep.”

The Other Yuuri giggled, his musical laugh a very pleasing sound to hear. “Silly Victor, I’m not sure I could keep my hands to myself very long should we do that.” His button eyes seemed to gleam with mischief as he added, “Plus, you’re so tired already… You will soon learn that endurance is not something I lack, and I would hate to leave you even more exhausted.”

Taking in Victor’s slightly blushing face, the Other Yuuri gently pressed Victor’s biceps and whispered in his ear, “Your nose and ears turn all pink when you blush: it’s absolutely adorable.” He bestowed tiny kisses on Victor’s ear, relishing in the subsequent shiver the gesture elicited. Moving his ministrations to Victor’s neck, the Other Yuuri innocently thought aloud, “I wonder if this lovely flush could extend to other parts of your body as_—_”

“So mean, teasing me like that!” Victor interrupted, cheeks pink. He reluctantly pushed the Other Yuuri away from him. “I thought _you _were the one who wanted to take things slow.”

“Of course. You are just too cute to resist, Victor,” the Other Yuuri said, tapping the side of one of his button eyes with a red nail. “So cute, in fact, that I might just eat you all up!”

Again, something indefinable crossed his face for a brief instant, soon replaced by a flirty smile. “Well then,” the Other Yuuri kissed two of his fingers before tenderly pressing them against Victor’s lips, “have pleasant dreams, darling.”

Victor pensively touched his mouth as the Other Yuuri turned on his heel and left with a whispered _See you soon_. The door closed with a resounding clack, leaving Victor alone with his thoughts.A soft snore snapped him out of his trance as he spotted Yuracya dozing off in his small bed.

Victor considered the poodle with mixed feelings. On the one hand, he still felt a stab of pain because of the dog’s resemblance with Makkachin, but on the other, Yuracya was such a cute and good dog… A sweet pet like him didn’t deserve to be pushed aside, whatever the reason, Victor decided.

He tentatively called out to Yuracya and was rewarded by a questioning but tired boof. Victor sat on the bed and patted the covers. “Want to join me, good boy?” Yuracya sprung out of his doggy bed, tongue lolling out happily, and proceeded to excitedly jump next to Victor in a mess of limbs.

“Calm down!” Victor laughed, trying to contain Yuracya’s excitement and notably failing, as the poodle soon managed to push Victor down in his quest to beg for more pets. Victor firmly booped him on the nose. “Let’s sleep, ok? I’m quite tired.”

He lay under the impossibly soft covers and hugged Yuracya close, nuzzling the soft fur. Understanding Victor’s intentions, Yuracya stayed still and soon dozed off again, button eyes slowly closing.

Victor couldn’t refrain from sighing contentedly as Yuracya’s even breathing and reassuring weight lulled him to sleep. He had missed the feeling of holding a beloved pet at night very dearly.

When Victor woke again, light was streaming through the windows, his bedroom was back to normal, and his bed was bereft of friendly poodles. No sign of erotic Yuuris with button eyes in the condo either.

Confused, Victor went to inspect the little door, but all he saw were bricks sealing its entrance just like before.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Other Yuuri's oven mitts [here](https://www.pinterest.com/pin/28358672626635446/visual-search/) (sharing because I thought they looked cute)
> 
> Thanks for reading!!! :D


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